Accounting machine



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Patented Sept. 5, 19 39 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE International Business Machines Corporation,

New York, Y., a corporation of New York Application December 3, 1935, .Serial No. 52,643

This invention relates to accounting devices and more particularly to machines for making Perforated records under selective control, of distantly located accounting machines; the perforated records to be used in tabulatingor sorting or other machines for the making of reports.

In textile mills, it is customary to keep records of operations of the different looms by attaching counters to each machine and causing some part of the loom to actuate the counter. In order to use the records thus produced, it is necessary to make systematic entries of the records of the different machines.

One object of the present invention is to de- 16 vise a system wherebythe operations of machines such as looms may be automatically recorded on counting or accumulating mechanisms located at the separate looms and connected to a central station to control the punching of record cards to be used in tabulating machines.

Another object is to provide a system of this kind in which a plurality of counting devices located at several looms may be selectively connected to, the record perforating machine at the central station to punching of the record card.

Another object is to devise means for restoring the selector devices associated with the counters at the looms to normal positions after they have 0 controlled the making of record cards.

Referring to the drawings wherein I have shown what I now consider to be the preferred form of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a perforat- 35 ing machine for producing punched cards to control tabulating machines.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing different parts of the mechanisms.

' Fig 3 is a sectional elevation of a counting 40 device adapted to be mounted on a loom to record he operations thereof.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the counter showing means by which arbitrary data such as the machine number may be set up.

45 Fig. 5 is a detail of a card lever contact controlling device in the perforating machine.

Fig, 6 is a wiring diagram illustrating the operation of the perforating machine under control of the loom counters.

50 Fig. 7 is a timing diagram of the contact operating cams in the machine.

The perforating machine illustrated here is of the type disclosed in my pending application, Serial No. 27,634, filed June 21, 1935, now Patent No. 2,146,283. for Card punching machine, and

automatically control theapplication Serial No. 685,379 of C. D. Lake, filed August 9, 1933, now Patent No. 2,032,805, for Perforating machine. In. the present application, only so much of the perforating machine is shown as is' necesary to a full and clear under- 5 standing of the invention.

In the drawings, the record cards I to be punched are stacked in a hopper 2 with a weight 3 holding them flat in position so that the lowermost card may be fed by a picker 4 toward the 10 left where it is received between feed rollers 5, 5 and fed over the punch die 1 under a row of punches 8 to a second set of feed rollers 9, 9'. The card is fed under the punches intermittently, stopping for a moment at each horizontal row 15 of index positions so that the punches may operate to perforate the card and be restored. After the punching of the card is completed, it is then fed to the next sets of feed rollers l0, l0 and H, II.

While between the feed rollers I 0 and H, the card stops long enough to be printed upon by the printing device l2 similarto the time stamp shown in patent to Jackson et al., No. 875,272 of December 31, 1907. This printing device is provided with a type belt l3 wound upon reels l4, I5 and may be fed from one reel to the other and around a positioning roller '5. With the card resting between the feed rollers l0 and II and directly over the type belt, the operation of the printing hammer I! will cause the characters in printing position to be printed on the under side of the card which may be facing downwardly.

The card picker! is operated by a gear segment l8 adapted to rock on shaft l9 and is driven by a cam follower 20 operated by a cam 2| on a shaft 22. Shaft 22 is normally idle and has fixed thereon an arm 23 locked by the armature 24 and controlled by the card feed clutch magnet designated CFCM. Loosely mounted on the shaft 22 is a gear 25 fixed with respect to a clutch disk 26 having a notch 21 adapted to cooperate with the clutch arm 28. Gear 25 meshes with a pinion 29 fixed on shaft 30 with a gear 3|. Gear 3| meshes with gear 32 fixed to the driving pulley. 33 which is driven by a belt 34 from the motor M. Thus, while the motor M is running, the gear 25 is constantly in operation. Energization of the magnet CFCM will attract the locking armature 24 which will release the arm 23 and permit the clutch arm 28 to engage the notch in clutch disk 23 sothat the gear 25 will cause the shaft 22 to rotate. The energization of the card feed clutch magnet may be momentary so that after the shaft 22 has turned one revolution the latching pawl 24 will .be'in position to "stop the arm 23 and effect declutching to stop the shaft 22. Thus, one card will be fed from the stack I whenever the card feed clutch magnet is energized. 4

The feeding of the cardfrom' the stack l carries it as we have seen into the feed rollers 5, 5. The step by step operation of theser'ollers is effected through a Geneva stop motion device 35 driven from the pulley shaft 33' as more fully disclosed in my aforesaid copending application. The Geneva device 35 is mounted on a shaft 36 and drives a'gear 3T meshing with gears 38, 39 which drive the gears 50, it to operate the feed rollers 5, 5 and 9, 9'. Also driven from the pulley shaft 33 is an oscillating arm 32 connected to a plate 4'3 pivoted at M and adapted to cooperate with latch members 65 associated with the row of punches 8, there being one latch member A5 to each punch 8 and one such punch to each column of index positions on the record card. A spring 85 normally holds the latch away from the operating plate it. Each latch 55 is connected by a link It? to an armature Q8 of a selecting magnet 39. Energization of this magnet moves the latch 55 into cooperation with the plate 63 so that as the latter moves downwardly, it will force the punch 8 through the record card. The timing is such that between the feeding steps of the card, the operating plate 63 moves downwardly and back to its upper normal position. Thus, if the latch 415 moves into cooperation with the plate, a corresponding punch 8 will be forced through the card and then withdrawn therefrom while the card is standin still.

After the card has been punched and reaches the rollers it, it, these rollers will feed the card to printing position. This is done by en-' ergization of magnet ECM (Fig. 2) which attracts its armature latch 5t, releasing clutch arm 5i so that the clutch dog 52 will engage the notched clutch.disk 53 fixed to a gear 56 which meshes with gear 39 and is therefore constantly turning step by step.

Disk 53 and gear 545 are loose on shaft 55 while the arm 5! is fixed to thisshaft. When the clutch dog 52 engages a disk 53, the shaft is caused to. retate a single revolution after which the latch 50 0 "removes the clutch dog 52 and locks the shaft in its 5 with the feed'rollers it, iii and H, H.

normal position. Fixed to shaft 55 is a second gear similar to gear, 56 meshing with gear 5% which drives the gears 57 and through an idler 58 also drives gears 59. Gears 5i! and 59 are associated The revolution of shaft then causes the rollers it and ll,to feed the card into printing position where it stops. 0 The clutch magnet ECIVZ is again energized to feed the card from printing position into the receiving hopper tit.

The operation of the printing hammer if is effected by energization of the printing magnet or solenoid PM which rocks bell crank t l, moving link 62 to the left. This rocks arm 63 counter-' clockwise loosely on shaft Ed. The spring actuated latch 65 carried on arm 63 will then rock arm t6 fixed on shaft til on which is also fixed arm 67. This rocks the arm it! with the hammer W counterclockwise until the camming action of the stud 68 turns latch 65 about its pivot far enough enough to release the arm tit. The spring tit then rocks arm ti?! with printing hammer l'i downwardly until arm 6'? strikes its limit stop it. This stopping takes piace before the hammer strilses the card to effect printing but the inertia of the hammer carries it beyond this point to effect the printing blow, after which the spring H retracts the hammer to normal .position.

Associated with the card supply hopper 2 is a card lever MCL adapted to be rocked downwardly when there are cards in thelhopper to close the MCL contacts. After the last card has been fed from the hopper, the card lever will rock upwardly into a hole or depression in the lower face of the card weight 3 and permit contacts MCL to open. The purpose of these contacts will be understood in connection with the wiring diagram. Other card levers include a die card lever DCL which is provided with a lateral projection 73 (see Fig. 5). When the card is fed from the hopper to the punches and is passing through punching position, it will rock this lever to close the DCL contacts. After the card leaves the punching position and being fed toward printing position, it rocks another card lever desi nated RCL. This will open the RCL contacts which are normallyclosed. When the card reaches printing position, it will rock a card lever PCL to close. the PCL contacts and after the card leaves the printing position and is being fed to the receiving or eject pocket tii, it will rock card lever ECL to open the normally closed ECL contactsf Associated with'the punching machine as disclosed in Fig. 2 is a distributor device comprising a brush arm ,il cooperating with a common contact segment 55 and a plurality of individual contact segments it. When the arm it rotates one of its brushes it will successively pass over the contacts 116 while the other moves over the common contacts 15. The brush arm is adapted to turn a half revolution for each card punching cycle of the machine. The brush arm is fixed with respect to a gear l3 meshing through gearing it, lid with gear at which meshes with a gear fixed to gear 25 which as pointed out turns continuously while the motor M is in operation.

Also fixed on shaft 221s a cam FC controlling contacts FC 9 Soon after the shaft commences to rotate, the contacts close for a short period, after which they open and remain open throughout the remainder of the cycle. v

Associated with gear HQ are cam disks CC which control contacts 00 El to CCl, operating them during the various machine cycles for one record card.

In the present case I have shown the recording device as an ordinary counter as distinguished from an accumulator or totalizer, although any type of recording mechanism may be employed.

In Fig. 3, a counter 84 is shown as having counter wheels 85 carried on a common shaft 85 and adapted to be actuated by a pawl 871 carried on an arm t8 attached to a lever 89 fixed to shaft til. Also fixed on this shaft is an operating arm 90 which may be connected to the machine whose operations are to be counted so that each operation of the machine will rock the arm downwardly. This will raise the arm 88 and turn the counter wheel hit one step. A locking pawl 92 is provided to hold the counter wheel 85 in position.

This device is more fully disclosed in U. S.

Patent $7 1,223,315 issued May 29, 1917, to Goss.

In the present instance, each counter wheel 85 has fixed thereto a gear meshing with an idler Q which, in turn, meshes with gear 95 loosely mounted on shaft t6 and fixed with respect to a brush carrierarm 9? carrying a pair of brushes Q8. One of the brushes is in contact with a common conductor segment 99 while the other is in contact with one of ten contact points I00. Each of these contact points represent one of the ten numerals from 0 to 9 and the brush 98 will engage the particular contact I00 representing the numeral corresponding to the setting of its counter wheel 85.

In Fig. 4, an additional set of brushes 98 and corresponding contacts I00, etc., is shown. .These particular brushes may be set manually by the operation of a disk IOI which may be reached by opening a door I02. The disk MI is notched to cooperate with an impositive latch spring I03 to hold it in set position. These manually set brushes may be used to effect an arbitrary setting in the machine to represent the machine number or other data which is not to be controlled by the operation of the loom. When a reading is to be taken from the counter, the arbitrary setting as well as the data entered under control of the machine, will be taken to produce a perforated record. Thus, when a perforated record is made under control of the counter to show the operations performed by a particular machine, the number of the machine will also be punched in the record card.

Wiring diagram In Fig. 6, the selector switch I04 is shown as having a plurality of common contact segments I05. Associated with each segment I05 is a plurality of individual contact points I06. A separate interconnecting brush arm I01 is adapted to wipe over each segment I05 and its associated contact points I06. The parts are shown in normal position with the brush arms I01 disengaged from the contact points I06. Rotation of the switch rod I04 one step will move all of the brush arms I01 into cooperation with :the first contact point I06 in each order. Turning of the rod two steps will connect the brush arms to the second contact point I06 of each order and so forth.

Fig. 6 shows three sets or counters representing the counters-of Figs. 3 and 4. These three counters are designated X, Y, and Z. All of the contact segments 99, 99 of counter X are connected by wires I08 to the first contact point I06, each segment 99, 99 being connected to the contact I06 in a different order. The contact segments 99, 99' of accumulator Y are connected to the second set of contact points I06, each segment 99 and 99' being connected to a contact point J06 of a different order. Similarly, the contact segments 99, 99 of counter Z are connected to the third-contact point I06 each segment being connected to a contact I06 of a different order. Thus turning of the switch rod I04 one step will connect all the brush arms I01 to the contact segments 99, 99' of counter X. Turning of the rod two steps will connect contact arms I01 to the segments 99, 99 of counter Y and turning of the rod three steps will make connection to counter Z. Additional counters may be connected through the other contacts I 06. The contacts I00 of the read out device are separately connected by wires I09 to the several contact points 16 of the distributor device 14 carried by the perforating" machine. As the perforating machine operates, feeding a record card step by step under the punches 0, the distributor arm 14 will operate synchronously so that, assuming that the row of nines on the card reach the punching position first, the distributor arm or brush 14 will conneot the contact point 16 representing the 9 position to the common segment 15. If the brushes 98 in the corresponding order in the particular counter happen to interconnect the nine contact point I00 with the common segment 99, a circuit will close through the punch magnet to cause operation of the particular punch to make the perforated entry in the record card.

If the brushes 98 rest at some other position, as for instance, interconnecting the value 5 contact I00 with the segment 99 then no connection will be made to the punch magnet for the particular order until the card has been fed so as to place the row of fives thereon under the row of punches and the brush arm 14 has also moved to connect the value contact 16 to the segment 15. The circuit will then be closed at this point to eiTect punching of the value 5 in the particular column.

Each contact segment I05 of the selector switch is connected by a wire IIO to a separate plug socket III. These plug sockets may be connected as desired to similar plug sockets II2 associated with the punch magnets 49. If the record card is provided with 45 columns of index points, there will be 45 punch magnets 49 and the plug sockets III of whichten are shown representing the ten denominational counter orders that may be connected to any ten punch magnets so as to effect punching in the group of columns desired.

In order to operate the perforating machine, the switch II3 will be closed. This will connect the operating motor M to the source of supply II4 so that the motor will commence to operate and cause the constantly running portions of the machine to operate.

The operator will then depress the start key I22 to close contacts I23. This will close a circuit from the source II4 through wire I24, relay magnet A, contacts I23, normally closed contacts D4, back to the other side of the source through the ground. Relay magnet A then closes its contacts AI so that when the start key is released the circuit will continue through contacts AI, normally closed card lever contacts RCL to the other side of the source.

The operator may then select the particular counter from which he wishes to take a reading to produce a perforated record. This is done by operating the dial I I5 similar to a telephone dial. As the dial is rotated by the operator, the successive lugs II6 will rock the arm II1 to escape to the left thereof. After the dial has been released, it will return to its normal position and each segment II6 will now push the arm II1 to the right, thus opening contacts I I8. These contacts will thus be opened a number of times correspoding to the position to which the dial is rotated. Also when the dial is operated, its arm II9 will permit contacts I20 to open and will close contacts I2I. These contacts will remain in these changed positions until the dial again returns to its normal position.

While contacts II8 are closed, relay magnet B is energized from the line I24 through contacts A2, contacts I I8, relay Z, back to the other side of the line. As the dial I I5 returns to normal po sition after having been operated and opens con tacts II 8 each time a lug II 6 passes the projection II 1, the circuit through relay B is broken. When relay B is energized, upper contacts BI are closed causing energization of delayed relay C from line I24 through relay C, contacts BI to the other side of the line. Whenever contacts I I8 open, breaking the circuit through relay B, upper contacts Bl open and lower contacts Bl close. Upper contacts Cl which are closed by relay C remain closed for a short period after upper contacts Bi open due to the slow action of relay C so that a circuit is closed from battery E25 through magnet J, wire i25, upper contacts Ci, lower contacts Bi and back to the battery through the ground. This will raise the armature i271, lifting the actuating pawl I28 which cooperates with ratchet wheel H9. 7

Then as relay B is again energized breaking lower contacts Bl the circuit will be broken through magnet J and the circuit through relay C will be reestablished before upper contacts Cl have been broken. When the circuit through magnet J is broken and the operating pawl H8 is restored by its spring it will turn the ratchet wheel E29 one step to rotate the shaft lfl l of the selecting switch. The selecting switch will thus be operated a number of steps corresponding to the number or" times that the dial H5 opens contacts H8, so that if the dial is operated to its "3 positions, the selector switch will be turned three steps to connect the counter Z which is the third counter, through the switch, to the punch magnets i After the dial 8 l5 and the selecting switch have come to rest and the machine has operated through a complete cycle to perforate a record card, relay B will be deenergized and magnet C will permit upper contacts Ci to open and lower contacts CI to close. This will establish a circuit from the battery i25 through magnet J, wire flit,

lower contacts Cl, wire l3il, contacts J i, wire 03E, segment H3511, contact points iiliia, all of which are interconnected and connected to the ground to permit the circuit to be completed to the other side of the battery. This will cause armature l2? to operate the pawl I25 and at the same time open contact J l. Then as the pawl actuates the ratchet 429 and contacts J 6 close, the circuit will be reestablished. This continues as long as the switch arm iilia is passing over the interconnected contact points Etta. When this switch arm reaches its normal position, the circuit through the relay J will no longer be established and the parts will come to rest so that the operator may now make another selection through the dial H5.

The signal lamp iIiia is connected to the supply line 526 and through wire lSZ to a segment iillb so that when the selector switch is operated the lamp will light and. remain lighted until the selector switch arm has passed over all of the interconnected contact points the?) and is in normal position ready for a new operation.

When the operator depresses the start key 622 and energizes relay magnet A, contacts A3 are closed to light the signal lamp Esta. After the card feeding begins by the rotation of shaft 22 in Fig. 2 and cam FC closes a-circuit through relay magnet F, contacts F6 are closed to continue the circuit to the. lamp Mil after the contacts A3 are opened. The circuit through contacts 'Fl will be maintained as long as relay F is energized. This relay becomes deenergized when the record card leaves the printing position and actuates the card lever ECL which opens the circuit through the relay F and holding contacts Fl. A set of contacts F5 controls a shunt circuit around the dial controlled contacts H8. After the operating cycle of. the, machine starts and cards begin to feed, energizing relay F, this relaycloses contacts F5. If the dial is now operated to cause contacts lit to open, the circuit through relay B remains closed through contacts F5 and the circuit through the selector switch magnet J cannot be closed to cause operation of this switch.

We have seen that when the operator begins to turn the dial H5, contacts iii are closed immediately and contacts are open at the same time. The closure of contacts i2i as explained causes energization of relay magnet D and this, in turn, causes closure of contacts D2.

We have also seen that while cards are in the magazine 2, the magazine card lever MCL will close the MCL contacts so that after the dial has been released and returns to its normal position opening contacts iii and closing contacts We, a circuit will be closed through the card feed clutch magnet CFCM as' follows: from the line i249, magnet CFCM, contacts MCL, contacts lit, contacts F2 which are normally closed, contacts D2, contacts CCl normally closed, back to ground. Soon after the energization of the magnet CFCM causes the operating shaft 22 to commence to rotate, the energization of relay magnet F will open contacts F2 and break the circuit through the magnet CFCM so that after the shaft has completed a revolution, it will be declutched and latched by the armature latch 24.

When a card is fed. from the magazine 2 into punching position below the'punches it, the operation of the die card lever DCL closes the DCL contacts. Then contacts CC2 become closed. This will complete the circuit through magnet ECM as follows: from line i241, contacts DCL, contacts CCKmagnet ECM back to ground. The energization of magnet ECM as shown in Fig. 2 causes the feed rollers it, it of Fig. 1 to operate to feed the card into printing position after it has been completely punched and fed by rollers 9 to rollers til. The cam contacts C62 are timed to open soon after the card feeding cycle starts and the circuit will be held through the magnet ECM through holding contacts G32.

Contacts (2C3 are timed to open when the card is in printing position between feed rollers ill, Eli. This deenergizes magnet ECM so that the drive to the feed rollers will be declutcheol when the card is in proper position. When-the card is fed into printing position, it will operate the printing clutch lever PCL to close the PCL contacts. This will close the circuit through relay magnet H. Contacts F3 are closed due to the energization of relay F and contacts CCl will be closed to complete a circuit through the printing magnet PM from line 626 through contacts PCL, contacts 0C6, contacts F3, magnet PM back to ground. The energization of magnet PM as shown in Fig. l. operates the printing hammer ill to print the date or other data on the card which has just been punched.

The energization of relay H closes contacts Hi so that the circuit will be reestablished through the magnet ECM from line 526 through contacts Hi, contacts D3, contacts C02, magnet ECM back to ground. This will cause the clutch disk 53 to engage the clutch dog 52 as soon as the notch in the disk reaches the dog and start the operation or? the feed rollers it], Hi to feed the card out to'open deenergizing magnet ECM so that the go reenergize relay D.

The deenergization of relay F will open contacts F4 so that the circuit will be broken through the signal lamp l3la as soon as the selecting switch I04 reaches its the partial circuit through wire I32. Contacts F5 will also open so that the operation of contacts H8 will permit relay B to become efiective once more to render the magnet J operative.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a recording system with a plurality of counters adapted for operation by machines for controlling recording of the operations of the machines, the combination of a common record perforating device, means for emitting a variable number of distinct impulses, means under control of said impulses for selectively connecting one of said counters to the perforating device, means under control of the connected counter for operating said device to punch a record of the setting of the counter, and means under control of said connecting means for automatically initiating operation of said operating means after connection of the selected counter.

2. In a recording system with a plurality of counters adapted for operation by machines for controlling recording of the operations of the machines on record cards, the combination of a common card perforating device, means for emitting a variable number of separate impulses, means under control of said impulses for selectively connecting the counters to said perforating device to control recording operation, means unnormal position breaking ating said device to punch a record of the setting of the counter in a card.

3. In a recording system with a plurality of counters each with elements adapted for operation by machines for controlling recording of the operations of the machines, the combination of a readout device positioned by each denomination element of each counter, a recording machine, a single, central, manually operated device for selectively connecttrolling the recording machine to record a multidenominational reading of the setting of the selected counter.

4. In a recording system with a plurality of counters adapted for control by machines for controlling recording of operations thereof on record cards, the combination of a common recording device, means associated with each counters, means for under control of the connected counter and identifying means for operating said recording device recording of the counter setting and counter setting to make a record on the same card of the time that the counter record is made, and means under control of said connecting means for feeding one card for each related counter, identification and time record.

JAMES W. BRYCE.

multidenominational counter 

